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HUD’s Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD) issued Notice CPD-14-12 on July 28, “strongly encouraging” Continuums of Care (CoCs) to establish priorities for serving various categories of chronically homeless people in CoC Program-funded permanent supportive housing (PSH). The stated goal of the Notice is to ensure that homeless individuals and families with the most severe service needs receive priority. The Notice establishes an order of priority that HUD strongly encourages CoCs to adopt and incorporate into their written standards and coordinated assessment systems. If CoCs adopt the suggested priorities, then they can require recipients of CoC Program-funded PSH to follow the order of priority.

The Notice states that there are two significant ways CoCs can work toward ending chronic homelessness using their existing CoC program-funded PSH. One way is to prioritize non-dedicated PSH units for chronically homeless people by giving them admissions preference. The other way is to increase the number of CoC Program-funded PSH units dedicated to chronically homeless people. When a project’s grant agreement dedicates PSH units to chronically homeless people, only they may be served, unless no other client in the CoC programs meets the definition of chronically homelessness. A CoC may increase the number of units dedicated to chronically homeless people when a non-dedicated recipient requests a grant agreement amendment to dedicate units.

HUD defines people who have severe service needs to be those who either have a history of frequently using crisis services such as emergency rooms, psychiatric facilities, and jails, or who have significant health or behavioral challenges or functional impairments requiring a high level of support in order to maintain permanent housing.

Notice CPD-14-12 suggests four levels of priority for CoC Program-funded PSH that is either dedicated or prioritized:

First priority is for those who have severe service needs and who were chronically homeless for at least 12 months, either continuously or on at least four separate occasions that add up to 12 months over the last three years.

Second priority is for those who do not have severe service needs, but who were chronically homeless for the above time periods.

Third priority is for those who have severe service needs and who were chronically homeless on at least four separate occasions that add up to less than 12 months over the last three years.

Fourth priority is for those who do not have severe service needs, but who were chronically homeless for at least 12 months, either continuously or on at least four separate occasions that add up to less than 12 months over the last three years.

The order of priority for CoC Program-funded PSH that is not dedicated or prioritized is:

First priority is for individuals or families with a member with a disability and severe service needs, and who were homeless for any length of time, including those who are exiting an institution where they lived for 90 days or less but who were homeless before entering the institution.

Second priority is for individuals or families with a member with a disability who were homeless either continuously for six months or on at least three separate occasions that add up to six months over the last three years. This includes those exiting an institution where they lived for 90 days or less, but who were homeless either continuously for six months or on at least three separate occasions that add up to six months over the last three years before entering the institution.

Third priority is for individuals or families with a member with a disability who are homeless, including those exiting an institution where they lived for 90 days or less, but who were homeless before entering the institution.

Fourth priority is for individuals and families with a member with a disability who are:

Coming from transitional housing, but who were homeless before living in transitional housing.

Fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking who are living in transitional housing, even if they were not homeless before entering transitional housing.